hand-made playnotes from a collaborative + open research project investigating, enjoying, and learning from the self-initiated non-commercial play of children in Tokyo

Workshops & Public Projects

MAMMOTH School Collaboration
Collaboration on resources and directions for MAMMOTH School, a project which aims to create a new standard of education with the goal of nurturing children that become adults who are knowledgeable about and inspired to take responsibility for the sustainability of the world.http://www.mammothschool.com/

Look-A-Round
Produced in collaboration with Mammoth School and Knee High Media for the second issue of the Mammoth School free paper, “Look-A-Round” is a board game which encourages learning about city accessibility. View a fine video [HERE].
Pick up a copy from the stores listed [HERE]. Download the board game on the page [HERE]

Amidakuji
Produced in collaboration with Mammoth School and Knee High Media for the third issue of the Mammoth School free paper, “Amidakuji” builds on a traditional Japanese game for fun and weird storytelling. Illustrated by the fantastic Hiyoko Imai.
View a fine video [HERE].
Pick up a copy from the stores listed [HERE]. Download the board game [HERE] (PDF)

Dots and Nets – Catch the Fish
Produced in collaboration with Mammoth School and Knee High Media for the fourth issue of the Mammoth School free paper, “Dots and Nets” builds on the traditional dots and squares game to introduce creatures of the sea. Illustrated by Mika Inohara.
Details [HERE]

Contribution to Children Youth and Environments Image Collection. University of Colorado CYE Center.
I’m honoured and delighted to be able to contribute a selection of my hand-made play and child-scale city images (up soon – view the images on Flickr in the meantime) to the Children Youth and Environments Image Collection at the University of Colorado CYE Center.
The Children, Youth and Environments Center for Research and Design (CYE) is part of the College of Architecture and Planning at the University of Colorado and the purpoase of the image collection purpose is to provide images of children and youth in various environments for educators, students, community groups and other non-commercial users.
The collection can be accessed HERE

Playtime in Africa: Site and global supporters
I’m honoured that this research, and the 雨の日の宝物(Rainy Day Treasures) Pamphlet was a source of inspiration for the Playtime in Africa project that aims to “turn two acres of land in the Dzorwulu neighborhood into a groundbreaking natural playspace”.
Global supporters map [HERE]
Playtime in Africa WEBSITE

Tokyo colour-in. The colouring-in book of Tokyo street art
A semi-colouring-in, self-story-telling, and city outdoor-activity book of Tokyo street art created to introduce little hands and minds to the fine-grained hand made aspect of human(e) creativity on the street. Take a look at the preview [HERE]

City Blocks
A work-in-progress public art/education project with a Tokyo-based publisher – self-build building blocks of the most-loved everyday places and things of children in Japan – “Become familiar & comfortable with your environment, share and discuss, develop the facility to play with, rearrange, reimagine, create spaces and places. Explore the neighbourhoods of Japan through the eyes of other children, discover what they care for and have fun with.”

Building for Plants and Play
We’re designing and building a usable backyard in an unusable space deep in suburban Tokyo.
You can see some photos of the site [HERE]